"We are very distraught about the Vatican's insistence that
a priest credibly accused of molesting a youngster be re-assigned
to ministry due to a technicality in church rules.

Today, we urge Cardinal Maida to:

- go to parishes where Fr. Brian Bjorklund worked and prod victims
and witnesses to contact police and prosecutors, so that he may
be criminally charged, and

- appeal, if possible, to higher Vatican powers, and if necessary,
defy a new Vatican ruling and keep Bjorklund out of ministry so
that kids will be safe.

We fear this is the first of many such Vatican decisions which
will essentially gut the American bishops' so-called 'one strike'
policy.

Pope John Paul II that the church has no place in ministry for
those who would harm children. He did not draw arbitrary lines or
say that the legal, technical age of consent in a particular jurisdiction
is more important than the safety of children.

Just over a year ago, US bishop's conference president Wilton Gregory
of Belleville put it in no uncertain terms: "Bishops will not
tolerate even one act of sexual abuse of a minor. No free pass.
No second chances. No free strike. An abuser, who recognizes the
profound harm he has committed, and who has shown remorse, can indeed
be forgiven for his sins. He just doesn't get a second chance to
do it again. Period."

Apparently, Bishop Gregory can't keep this promise. So the burden
falls to Cardinal Maida to go beyond the bare minimum approach most
bishops take. He must now take strong, affirmative steps to reach
out to other witnesses and victims. We urge him to do so immediately.

And we urge Detroit area Catholics to spread Bjorklund's name far
and wide, and ask every single Catholic they know if they were victimized
by this abuser.

---------------

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Vatican reinstates accused Navy chaplain

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT -- The Vatican has reinstated a U.S. Navy chaplain as an
active priest after he was placed on administrative leave amid sex
abuse allegations, Detroit Roman Catholic leaders said.

The Rev. Brian Bjorklund, 64, was suspended last summer over allegations
he molested a 17-year-old boy in his early years in the ministry.
He was ordained in 1966.
Vatican leaders say the alleged contact was not a violation of church
law at the time, though it is now.

News of Bjorklund's reinstatement comes four days before the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops releases a national report on sexual
abuse against minors over the past 50 years.

Bjorklund began his career as associate pastor at St. Alfred Parish
in Taylor. He became a Navy chaplain in 1988.

Police were notified of abuse allegations last year but chose not
to investigate because the statute of limitations had expired. The
archdiocese launched its own investigation in July.